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In the final there are nine points up for grabs. Five of these will comes from the staff vote (each staff member assigning one point). With the four readers points assigned as follows based on the RPGamer.com home page poll: 0-33% - Zero points, 33-48% - One point, 48-52% - Two points, 52-67% - Three points, 67-100% - Four points.

As this is the final, voting will be open for a bit longer than previous rounds, closing at 6:55pm EST on Tuesday June 7, 2016. Staff members can cast their votes at any time, but if possible should wait at least a day until doing so that readers and other staff members can lay out their arguments first. Everyone (staff and readers) is more than welcome to put forward their case on who should win at attempt to influence the staff voters! May the best...er...worst...er...most deserving villain win!

Comments

Very awesome pairing - and very deserving finalists. It is a very difficult choice to choose between these two madmen. Both have an insanity that is frightening, and over-arching plots and plans to dominate and destroy everything.

I am happy with whoever wins.

My vote is for Kefka - due to the fact that he succeeded in many of his plans - and did manage to effectively take over the world.

Kefka did re-form an entire planet - and I am certain killed thousands in the process of doing so.

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Yeah but despite not achieving his over all goals, Luca kinda thousands IN JUST ONE COUNTRY, sacrificing an entire town at one point to achieve his goals.

Absolutely true - but don't forget - Kefka was blowing up towns with some kind of crazy laser. If I remember correctly (and it has been a while) he had a tower that could shoot a laser and burn a town to the ground. He truly was a frightening overlord. All the while giggling.

And most importantly he changed the face of an ENTIRE PLANET... towns meant nothing to Kefka :)

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Yeah, that's what kept Kefka's deathtoll to an implied thousands, because the entire NPC population of the game was hardly more than one or two hundred at most. There must have been tons of tinier hamlets that were simply never deemed important enough to stop by, but then again this has always been one of the weaker traits of FF worldbuilding.

This is an amazing and perfect final showdown in my opinion. And far be it for me to say anything negative about either candidate, but I do have to say that Luca is the clear winner here as overall villains go.

Kefka was an amazing design, he was destructive, surprisingly successful, and he was memorable...

But what can you say about Kefka's backstory? His motivation? His relations to the other characters? They're all extremely shallow. He was an insane clown magician who wanted to watch the world burn because... he's an insane clown magician! That's pretty much the beginning and end of it. We don't know how he got his powers, or what drove him to be such a buttnutt. And all his destruction was extremely impersonal. He killed people on a mass scale, sure, and usually from a distance. But that kinda takes away any personal touch or sense of true malice. Killing was just... a fun tool to his ends.

Luca has a backstory, actual relationships to other characters, and actual meaningful interactions with people he doesn't want to kill. Watching Luca make ONE woman crawl like a pig, oinking for her life, then butchering her in the streets... that one death had more impact and told you more about the depths of Luca's evil than Kefka blowing up a city from half a world away. And Luca actually had relationships that spanned more than just "people I haven't killed yet." He had a sister he - at least at one time - cared for. He had a father whom he had a specific reason to hate and kill. And a mother who's horrific death motivated his decent into madness (and also perhaps drove him to his source of power).

Also, let's talk about deaths. The battles with Luca and Kefka both took on epic proportions. Both required multiple parties of heroes to defeat. Kefka has one of the biggest multi-tiered battles in any RPG with what I consider the masterpiece of SNES music playing all the while. All totally granted. But the Luca battle was a deeper affair. It was WAY more than just a boss fight with some infinite HP villain and his powerful attacks. It involved ARMIES of people who died trying to kill him, as well as armies who died trying to protect their mad prince. Then it goes down to the PARTY level, where 18 named characters all get their shot, win or lose. And finally, we go back to the PERSONAL level with a one-on-one duel to the death between army leaders. It hits every note imaginable. And you feel the desperation of the struggle to the last moment. And finally, Luca ends the struggle with his lingering dying words...

"Remember! It took hundreds to kill me, but I killed humans by the thousands! Look at me! I am sublime! I am the true face of evil!"

Kefka goes out rather quietly, without a word. Perhaps it was poignant, but it left me wanting a bit more closure after all that we went through to beat that game, and still had no idea who this guy was or why any of this happened.

You know, I usually fight on the side of Kefka, worshiping him as the ultimate RPG villain on accomplishments alone, but Skeith27 makes some really significant arguments for Luca in a way that makes sense to me. There are a couple of flaws in the argument that don't detract much from the overall point.

Kefka got his initial powers as the original test subject for the magitek program that eventually produced Celes. Unfortunately, the imperfect process is what shattered Kefka's sanity and began his descent into madness.

The other points I can agree with being shallow. While the grand scope of his accomplishments was significantly higher, that may be a result of the scope of the games. FF6 was planetary, with Kefka

Spoiler:

reshaping and ruling the planet from his tower after acquiring the source of magic.

, where Suikoden 2 was local, with the primary conflict being not even continental, but country-based.

That being said, I would believe that if Luca had been in Kefka's place in FF6, the world may not have had the chance to recover.

I think, despite all the times I've supported Kefka as the best RPG villain in history, I'm going to vote for Luca. Kefka never managed to disgust me or make me feel fear.

While I think both villains are fantastic, I still think Luca is the more stronger and compelling villain. I have prattled on about his final boss fight, his backstory (so heartbreaking), and his monstrous mannerisms. It's hard to compare who is the worst villain given Kefka destroyed the world versus Luca slaughtering tens of thounsands in a country.

I think just in terms of an emotional factor, I think Luca is far more disturbing than Kefka. Yes, Kefka has scary clown face (which I hate, ew), but Luca is a guy who can give himself super-human strength merely by willing it. There's no tricks or gimmicks with him, he just a guy with a lot of emotional damage, thinking he can destroy those who harmed him (aka everyone). He doesn't want world domination or even to destroy the world, he merely wants to make people suffer the way he did.

I think they are both scary guys, but I admit I haven't played FFVI in years (and probably should do a replay) where as I've played Suikoden II far too many times for my own good.

OK, so I've had time to go back and think about it. Putting these two up against each other is hard, because they are both good at what they do in their respective games. I decided to go deeper and look at why they were both villains. For Kefka, he was an experiment that didn't go right. For Luca, he was forced to watch his mother sexually assaulted. Best villain has always been very subjective for me. I totally supported Ghaleon in prior rounds because he does the villain thing the way I like it. Between Kefka and Luca, it's harder because both of them start evil and end evil. With Luca, you can see his origin and is ultimate demise, which isn't even the end of the game. With Kefka, you meet him already evil and kind of incompetent. His victory is really just from trickery, nothing really genius. Luca is evil, plotting, and well defined with his dark nature. For that, he gets the nod from me here.

Vote: Luca Blight

PS: Can I rant briefly about how I love Kefka's SNES sprite design, but hate how he looks like a stupid clown in every other rendition of him?

It's going to be hard to write more than a few sentences because Nyx and Mac have said most everything I was going to say. I also said most everything really when Ghaleon got pitted against Luca. But I guess I can reiterate some points.

This final is lunacy against lunacy, evil against evil. Though presented in two very different ways, both Luca and Kefka accomplish one thing: they leave a large, bloody trail of humanity in their wakes. Kefka does this through subterfuge and coy humor (helped no doubt by Woolsey's translation, though later translations of him still keep his sadistic yet jolly nature), laughing and cracking jokes while he poisons towns, undermines his superiors, and ultimately reshapes the world in his image: dark, twisted, and desolate. He has one of the most memorable final battles in all RPGs, where the depths of his depravity take form. Kefka is a fantastic villain, and yet...

Luca Blight does all these things in a very different way. Gone is the humor and sneaking around; his way is the blade, fire, and carnage. While Kefka may have been the result of a deranged experiment, Luca is the product of humanity's own derangement. It grounds his character in reality, something that Kefka with his clownish looks and magical prowess lacks. Luca is a character you can actually see existing in the real world, a child's traumas given outlet through the sword. And he too creates his own world, one of despair and fear, not through mystical powers that exist only in legend, but through sheer might. He too has one of the most memorable battles in RPGs - the whole world tries to defeat him, then an elite group, and then you. And even through all of that, he still exists. Though he may be dead, his legacy would be felt in Jowston for years to come. Kefka's presence faded after mere minutes (hours or days in-game?) after his defeat.

Both villains are wonderfully evil in their own rights. But when it comes between the two of them, Kefka's life, dreams, and hopes are crushed under the sheer realness of Luca Blight's character and deeds.

My vote is for Luca Blight.

Currently Playing: Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS), The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PC), Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ (PS3)
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I already wrote a thingerdoodle a while back that captured why I am so down with Kefka Palazzo. I don't necessarily want to retread that old ground, so instead I'll provide an abridge version:

Most RPG villains = evil for the sake of being evil
Kefka = evil for the sake of fun/eventual nihilism

He doesn't care for human life. He has a massive chip on his shoulder. He's a colorful dresser with a fancy laugh. This is Kefka Palazzo.

We could ruminate for days over whether he is just a disturbed, man-made agent of chaos or a crazy person who doesn't know when to stop, but that's all beside the point. What matters is Kefka Palazzo's success, which is far more considerable than Luca's (I'm sorry, but I can't get on board that train).

How many primary antagonists are actually successful in destroying the world? Seriously.

Final Fantasy VI's heroic cast ultimately failed. In a moment few could have predicted, this mad man actually incites apocalypse and ascends to godhood. Your heroes fall, and Kefka's disregard for human life develops into full-blown nihilism - such that he attempts to break the bonds of existence itself. That's evil.

A vote for Kefka is a vote for k-razy. And I vote Kefka.

"To tell you the truth, I like drinking tea and eating fresh vegetables, but that doesn't fit with my super-cool attitude. I guess I have to accept this about myself."

Shoot. I just missed this.... I would have voted for Luca anyway though so it's all good. Much respect for Kefka, but Luca is just a scarier dude. Kefka is a maniacal destroy the world kind of evil. Luca is more of a Game of Thrones creepily realistic sadist kind of evil.

By the way, Jowy wasn't part of this poll at all, but I think he would have made an excellent choice as well. His villain status may be debatable, but a lot of his decisions clearly lean that way. I'd say he's an "ends justify the means" villain, but still a villain. And to be a villain that manipulates both a monster like Luca Blight and his own childhood friend into a confrontation to put an end to Luca Blight (not to mention the things he did to earn Luca's trust), I think earns him a spot for serious consideration as well.

This is an amazing and perfect final showdown in my opinion. And far be it for me to say anything negative about either candidate, but I do have to say that Luca is the clear winner here as overall villains go.

Kefka was an amazing design, he was destructive, surprisingly successful, and he was memorable...

But what can you say about Kefka's backstory? His motivation? His relations to the other characters? They're all extremely shallow. He was an insane clown magician who wanted to watch the world burn because... he's an insane clown magician! That's pretty much the beginning and end of it. We don't know how he got his powers, or what drove him to be such a buttnutt. And all his destruction was extremely impersonal. He killed people on a mass scale, sure, and usually from a distance. But that kinda takes away any personal touch or sense of true malice. Killing was just... a fun tool to his ends.

Luca has a backstory, actual relationships to other characters, and actual meaningful interactions with people he doesn't want to kill. Watching Luca make ONE woman crawl like a pig, oinking for her life, then butchering her in the streets... that one death had more impact and told you more about the depths of Luca's evil than Kefka blowing up a city from half a world away. And Luca actually had relationships that spanned more than just "people I haven't killed yet." He had a sister he - at least at one time - cared for. He had a father whom he had a specific reason to hate and kill. And a mother who's horrific death motivated his decent into madness (and also perhaps drove him to his source of power).

Also, let's talk about deaths. The battles with Luca and Kefka both took on epic proportions. Both required multiple parties of heroes to defeat. Kefka has one of the biggest multi-tiered battles in any RPG with what I consider the masterpiece of SNES music playing all the while. All totally granted. But the Luca battle was a deeper affair. It was WAY more than just a boss fight with some infinite HP villain and his powerful attacks. It involved ARMIES of people who died trying to kill him, as well as armies who died trying to protect their mad prince. Then it goes down to the PARTY level, where 18 named characters all get their shot, win or lose. And finally, we go back to the PERSONAL level with a one-on-one duel to the death between army leaders. It hits every note imaginable. And you feel the desperation of the struggle to the last moment. And finally, Luca ends the struggle with his lingering dying words...

"Remember! It took hundreds to kill me, but I killed humans by the thousands! Look at me! I am sublime! I am the true face of evil!"

Kefka goes out rather quietly, without a word. Perhaps it was poignant, but it left me wanting a bit more closure after all that we went through to beat that game, and still had no idea who this guy was or why any of this happened.

I just read your thing about Kefka. You were incorrect about a couple things. You mentioned we dont know why he is crazy and where he got his powers but actually we do. Before Celes and Leo were given magic through experimentation. The emperor did all the testing on Kefka first which drove him mad. He was the guinea pig to the program and thats how he got his powers and what twisted his head :)

I just read your thing about Kefka. You were incorrect about a couple things. You mentioned we dont know why he is crazy and where he got his powers but actually we do. Before Celes and Leo were given magic through experimentation. The emperor did all the testing on Kefka first which drove him mad. He was the guinea pig to the program and thats how he got his powers and what twisted his head :)

Some one else had actually pointed that out already.

Having actually played Suikoden II again recently. I actually had to restart my game cause i got to the point of Luca's fight and couldn't beat him. This is the only fight that even after multiple play throughs I have never been able to get first try. I'm actually going back to Suikoden (the first one) so i can beat his ass. This is how much trouble this one fight has always provided me

Although Kefka is an epic fight ... I only had to use 4 characters to defeat him on EVERY playthrough on every attempt. I barely even use Magic and stick good old beat down (Sabin, Edgar, Gau, Cyan)

28 years of gaming and still going strong
and now a mostly annoyed Father with first son. And now a father again to a second son :D

Hmmm... I never lost the Luca Blight fight. Didn't even know for sure it was possible to lose. It's possible to beat him with first and second teams, but I usually don't. It's also usually a pretty close call, but I put most of my best guys in the last team, so I've always won....

Anyway, what do you mean when you say restart the game? I don't recall a point of no return save spot before the Luca Blight fight. You should be able to level up some spare characters and sharpen some weapons which is probably all you really need to do.